So I'm putting together a revised Hit List for agents, and I have two on there who state quite clearly that they must have a preliminary letter (and sae) before any material is submitted. Are there any guidelines anywhere on this site, or does anyone have pointers, for what to put in such a letter to whet their appetite? I'm assuming this should be a "why you should want to represent me" sort of sales pitch, not limited to one novel etc. But do other WW members have experience of writing this sort of letter, or know what agents might be after when they ask for this? Thanks

Tiger

Hi TB,

In this sort of letter you need to explain (very briefly) who you are, what the book's about and why they should take you on. It shou;dn't be too disimilar to a normal covering letter; maybe saying a little more about the story than you would if you were including a synopsis and sample chapters.

Nik.

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And of course there shouldn't be anything like "shou;dn't" in it either! ;)

Thanks, Nik. It seems an odd request to me because surely they can't judge the quality of a person's writing (fiction) from a covering letter alone, and no matter how great a sales pitch you give yourself. Or can they?!

Tiger

I think they can tell a lot from a letter like this; like how much time they've spent on it and whether or not they've made their story sound exciting in very few words. I think it's also a good way for them to discourage those who send something to every address in the Yearbook. It means that a writer submitting to them is doing it for the right reasons, ie they've researched the agent and decided that they're the ones they want. I could be wrong, of course - but I wouldn't let this discourage you.

Make sure you get the letter 100% right, TB. Best of luck with it.

Nik.

Thanks, Nik. I think the composition of the letter will be a useful discipline in itself - we all need to hone the inner saleman!

Tiger

FWIW, Miss Snark would say that you should include 3-5 pages of your novel as well, so that they can get a basic idea of whether you can write. This kind of thing is trying to fend off whole manuscripts and wodges of sample chapters, I guess.

Emma

Thanks, Emma. I was tempted to do just that so it's good to know I was on the right lines.

Tiger